The shovel is a basic manual tool that been used since the dawn of civilization. Stone Age man used the shoulder blades of bison to dig mines and Ancient Romans used the first iron shovels to dig aqueducts. The shovel has two main functions: 1) for digging holes or trenches into the earth and, 2) to move/transport loose material from one place to another. In its most basic form, the shovel has a flat, wide piece rigid material attached to the end of a straight shaft. The user grips the shaft with both hands, generally 12″-24″ apart, for the appropriate leverage in order to maneuver the shovel. Nearly every human being has invariably used a shovel at some time in their lives. Whether it be to dig a hole, to shovel snow or even digging in the sandbox, it is a very common, useful and popular tool.
The design of shovels has not changed much over hundreds of years. When shoveling snow or any loose material, the straight shaft forces the user to unnecessarily bend over, exerting full body strain, possibly resulting in neck, back, arm and leg injuries. This has a negative impact on our country's economy as many millions of dollars are lost each year due to missed productivity at work and medical expenses. Current day snow shovels are generally made with inferior materials resulting in further disadvantages to the user.
Blades made of polypropylene plastic are weak and crack easily. They also wear out quickly where the blade is scraped along the surface that is being shoveled. It is the same plastic used to make food containers, plastic bags, carpeting and product packaging.
Another problem is the connection hardware. The handle and blade usually have one or two rivets or screws that secure them to the shaft. Over time, the force exerted on the shovel causes this connection to fail. The result is a shovel blade that sways or wobbles unbalanced while the user is trying to move loose materials. The neck of the blade into which the shaft inserts, can also crack under the weight and pressure of use.
As can be seen, this creates great frustration for the user in the sense that it takes much more time and effort by having their body perform extra work to overcome these deficiencies. It also leads to unnecessary expense as the user must continually buy new shovels after the previous ones failed them.
In recent years, the term “ergonomic” shovel has been presented as an alternative to the straight shaft shovel. Here, the shaft is shaped like a lazy “S” or a lazy “Z”. With this configuration, the intent is for the user to exert less effort and bend less. However, there are still disadvantages. Current shovel shafts are not long enough and possess only a slight curvature and angle. These two attributes still force the user to bend over considerably in order to have the shovel blade make contact with the ground. When said shovels are not in use and stored by leaning against, or hanging on a wall, they comprise unnecessary space. The curvature of the shaft prohibits the shovel from laying flat against a surface which can discourage consumers from purchasing such products.
The present application addresses and solves all of the aforementioned problems in the following manner:
The blade to be manufactured from ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic instead of the typical poly (polypropylene) plastic. ABS plastic possesses standing impact strength and high mechanical strength. It is commonly used to manufacture safety helmets, piping and car components. It is highly resistant to most chemicals, abrasion and fractures, and provides strength and longevity. Aluminum is another choice, appealing for being relatively lightweight and durable.
The shaft is installed into the blade and handle and secured with connecting nuts and bolts that are inserted from opposite ends through the diameter of the connection. The threaded (male) bolt, screws into the threaded (female) nut, then tightened. Next a quick release (detent) pin is inserted through receptor holes in the blade/shaft and handle/shaft connections and serves two purposes. First, to add extra stability and strength to the connections. Second, to enable the user to quickly convert the shovel from “use” mode to “storage” mode by turning the handle and blade 90 degrees. This allows the shovel to occupy less cubic space since it can now lay nearly flat against a wall, on the floor, or in a vehicle.
Last, the curvature angles of the shaft and the linear length of the shaft, are both increased allowing users of all heights to stand erect while shoveling.
Other U.S. patents and patent applications have attempted to distinguish themselves from ordinary snow shovels and offer effort reducing benefits as in United States Patent Application Nos. US 2008/0185857 A1, US 2007/0187964 A1, US 2007/0013198 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,431 B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,273 B1 in which the shovel has an angularly adjustable blade or U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,393 named “Shovel with Pivoting Head”. U.S. Pat. No. 417,825 titled “Snow Tool” and U.S. Pat. No. 381,875 titled “Snow Shovel” which are simple bent angle shovels. U.S. Pat. No. D487,680 S titled “Telescoping Snow Shovel” has a collapsing shaft.
The aforementioned U.S. Patents and U.S. Patent Applications attempt to add ergonomic features to shovels. Some unnecessarily add small parts and mechanisms that do not particularly belong on a shovel. Since shovels are generally exposed to tremendous force and impact, there is a higher propensity for failure of these parts such as springs and the like. Such designs can over-complicate a manual tool to the point where it is not cost effective for production.
With others, the angle of the blade may pivot allowing the user the capability to discharge the material to their left or right side. This awkwardness has the potential to create even more strain than if using a basic, straight shaft shovel. Varying blade angles may require an unnatural response to the user, resulting in the use of body positions and muscles that are uncomfortable and unnatural.
Telescoping shafts are designed so that one can easily transport it in a car, backpack, etc. They are compact and comprise less space, but non-ergonomic, as they have very short, straight shafts. Therefore, said shovels are inappropriate relating to the means set forth in this application.